The Last Thing She Did
by spacEnigma83
Summary: Fair warning: If you have not seen the Season 3 episode 11 then this might not make sense to you so a slight "Spoiler Alert" is in order. I really don't REVEAL anything but this story is what could have happened minutes before Henry and Emma crossed the town line together in that episode. Also I wanted to add a few lingering minutes of what might happen between Snow and Regina.


**** So what is fanfiction? Well sometimes it's a coping mechanism for those long silent times during your favorite show's hiatus. **

**Fair warning: If you have not seen the Season 3 episode 11 then this might not make sense to you so a slight "Spoiler Alert" is in order. I really don't ****_REVEAL_**** anything but this story is what could have happened minutes before Henry and Emma crossed the town line together in that episode. Also I wanted to add a few lingering minutes of what might happen between Mary Margaret/Snow and Regina soon after.**

**Sort of seems like my theme is about "common ground" and my title means two completely different things for the two little "scenes" I present to you here. **

**Nothing amazing but still… I know what it's like to want to read something new especially with the whole… waiting for the new episodes to start. :D ****

**The Last Thing She Did**

After walking away from Snow White, Emma's eyes instantly hit the pavement. There were so many things she could have and should have said to her mother… to her father even. She's already torn up enough that she should very well fall apart at the thought of walking away from parents she just recently reunited with, but if she's going to get through this for her son and fulfill Regina's request in seeing that their son not be left behind, she can't afford to do that. So without a word, without that verbal goodbye, she tries to numb herself to the pain of this moment.

She and Henry are about to head off into a new life. It was really useless to dwell on the sadness spreading around now but she can certainly take a moment to appreciate the happy memories that are still fresh on her mind before she soon loses those as well. She tries to replay as many conversations in her head as she can and the one that pops up first is, "I like... the unicorns?" She mutters to herself in recollection as she and Henry buckle themselves in to the bug to await the clouds of a new.

"What?" Henry turns to ask in confusion as he watches his mother fumble with her seatbelt.

"That's... one of the last things I will have said to my mother. I mean... aside from trying to talk my way out of leaving everyone to have our own happy ending." Emma says as she stares at the steering wheel reaching out to grasp it as tightly as she can.

Henry offers a grim smile and then mutters quite sadly, "I told my Mom that she's not a villain... that she's my Mom." He says offering a slight shrug before leaning forward to stare in to the reflection of the passenger's side mirror.

"Well your conversation definitely tops mine. It's more meaningful anyway." Emma says doing the same while trying not to allow herself to cry at what she finds in the reflection of her driver's side mirror. "This is it." She utters in some sort of declaration as she sits up and twists her death grip on the steering wheel. "We're both about to drive away from our parents... away from our family."

"We'll still have each other." Henry whispers and always the optimist he adds, "It'll be fine. We'll see them again because we... well we..."

"Always find each other. I know..." She manages to say with a sad smile, "I know." She turns in an attempt to meet her son's gaze though he is now looking back over his shoulder at the crowd still gathered there.

Henry inhales deeply and lets out a wavering sigh leaving Emma to want to ease the boys mind or at the very least offer a distraction. "Your Mom..." she starts to say as he turns to finally meet her own sad gaze, "She loved you. You know that right?"

"Yeah." He says as he frowns and turns his attention back on Regina herself. His eyes scanning over her form in a rather vain attempt to try to memorize her. Then his eyes move to catch those of his grandmother's. "Your Mom loved you too." He says turning again to eye Emma.

"Yeah she did..." and then she thinks better of it, "I mean... she does. They do." She corrects their sudden past tense conversation as a small smile manages to make it to her lips once more.

"... and they always will." Henry says assuredly. "They'll find us. I don't think they can live without us." He says with a rather proud smirk considering their current situation.

"Yeah but we won't remember them." Emma points out and though it pains her to say this she manages not to frown this time.

Choosing to ignore her doubtful words Henry turns his attention back to Regina who manages to catch his eye one last time before taking the curse in hand. "She's a hero now isn't she?" He asks and a truly happy smile manages now to grace his features, proud of the fact that she kept her promise to him. She became better for him. This sacrifice she was making only made things that much more evident.

"Yeah kid. She gave us our happy ending. I guess she's sort of like our... our very own fairy godmother." Emma offers and she allows herself the satisfaction of laughing at the thought of it. Who knew that in the end her once arch nemesis would end up giving her such a gift by allowing her the life with Henry she always wanted.

Emma reaches up for the rearview mirror to adjust it being sure to keep her parents in view. If she didn't know any better she'd think they were staring right back at her from this distance in that mirror. Her eyes scan the faces of her parents once more and as she watches Regina turn her back to them she revs the engine attempting to force herself to look away from any and all reflections.

Without letting his gaze waver from Regina, Henry is quick to announce, "I didn't get to tell her that I loved her... or my Dad."

Emma is quiet for a moment before she somehow knows just what to say. "You know? I don't know a whole lot about these things but I think... the thing about being in a family Henry..." She says as she looks up in the rearview once more seeing the tearful smiles on her parent's faces, "Is that you don't really have to say it. They know. They'll always know."

"Yeah." Henry whispers his consent. They both manage to catch a glimpse of Regina's signature purple glow of magic which has started to emanate from her hands and then Henry says in a rushed whisper. "I'm scared..."

"Me too... but we got to get out of here." Emma says looking up in the rearview once again. She watches as the dark green clouds make their way towards their family and friends. She puts the car in gear and takes in a deep breath. "Before we cross that town line Henry..." She starts to say but pauses because she really doesn't want to have to say this. "Don't look back."

Focusing his eyes on the back of Regina's head he fights the tightening in his chest at hearing Emma say this but he knows why she is making this request. She doesn't want him to hurt even if it is for just a few seconds before they forget everything that has transpired here in the last year. "Okay." He whispers.

Regina then throws her magic to fight off that same cloud of green as Mother and Son drive away doing their best to fight the need to look in those mirrors. _"Don't look back." _Emma thinks to herself. _"Don't look back…" _and that was the last thing she remembered of that moment in time.

Soon enough Emma and Henry are on their way. They cross that orange spray painted town line as the memories of Storybrooke and its residents are quickly forgotten. Those memories are replaced by nothing but a life spent together… a life full of happy memories as mother and son gifted to her by none other than the Once Evil Queen.

…

…

…

Everyone is clouded in a dark fog of smoke but soon it clears to reveal the woods of the very place they had been ripped away from years ago, The Enchanted Forest.

"We're back..." announces Mary Margaret the infamous Snow White of this fabled land.

There is a silence that settles over the group of Dwarves, Fairies, and other familiar friends to Snow and her Prince. No one is sure how to break the silence but a few gather together to huddle for warmth leaving Regina standing in the middle of a grassy clearing where once ran a lonely road leading out of the now vanished town of Storybrooke. She swallows down the impulse to cry at the loss, the sacrifice of her son to the mortal world in her attempts to undo what she had done, to eliminate the fake town that the curse created while ultimately changing everyone's lives.

She continues to stand there motionless even as she hears a slight rustle of leaves and grass on the ground behind her followed by an exhaled sigh clearly indicating the approach of another.

"Regina... are you... alright?" The younger woman asks in a meek and wary voice.

Not willing to appear weak Regina sniffles once and clears her throat. She feels the other woman draw nearer still and soon feels a hand gently grasp at her arm from behind to squeeze. When she does not react to this the younger woman turns her around with a gentle tug on the arm she has taken hold of. Regina's eyes meet the grassy ground in shame as she does her best to keep a brave front. For even after everything they have been through recently she can't find it in her to let go in front of this woman.

Snow takes a moment to relinquish her grip on the woman's shoulder and slowly run that same hand down her arm to grasp at the woman's hand attempting to gain some eye contact which works. Thinking she understands the older woman's current mindset she offers assuredly, "You will see Henry again."

Regina can't think of anything to say to this. She was never one to be optimistic. She wasn't about to start in that direction now. Attempting to find her voice and wanting to get a hold of her emotions she tries her best to sound annoyed. "How are you so certain?" She manages to ask this and though she meant to sound angry the only thing out of sorts on her face is the distress she is still expressing.

"I have hope," Snow replies with a slight nod for emphasis before she somewhat scolds with a narrowing of her eyes and brow, "As should you. Henry… he had enough hope for all of us. I'm sure that's an idea you can hold on to." She can see now that the woman wants so desperately to fight off a smile at the thought of her son which causes a faint one to form on her own lips.

Regina releases an annoyed sigh still not liking the idea of being on friendly terms with this once proclaimed enemy of her past. She remains quiet for a moment but the idea of not seeing Henry gets the best of her. She swallows down her instinctive need to bicker with this woman only to begin to conclude aloud, "I… didn't…" She stops speaking suddenly as her voice wavers. She frowns and stares back down at the ground once more, too stubborn to just let go. When she fails to finish her thought her other hand is also taken up by Snow gaining that eye contact once more.

Snow in turn gives her an encouraging smile urging her to continue which, after a moment of working to keep any tears at bay, she does. "I didn't tell Henry that I love him." Regina finally manages to whisper for her voice is too thick with emotion.

Snow watches as a frown appears on the woman's lips, an expression she unconsciously mirrors. "I think the thing about being in a family Regina..." The woman is quick to throw a look her way at hearing her own name said in such a gentle manner. "Is that you don't…" She pauses to think of what to say, though she always did have a knack for saying just the right thing at the right time. "You don't need to say it for it to be true. He knows you love him. He'll always know that and he will know it when we see him again."

"But he won't remember…" Regina offers with a grimace as she stares at the other woman's lips to find a smile forming there.

"Maybe not... but the important thing is that in those last few moments he did." Her eyebrows lift up for emphasis. After a beat of silence she adds, "Thank you."

"For what?" Regina asks in a voice almost as if she has just been insulted.

At her tone Snow can't help but laugh before she explains what she meant. "For what you did… for… for giving Emma her happy ending."

"I didn't do that for her…" Regina tries to argue but the younger brunette does not buy this act one bit. She could try all she wanted, deep down she knew that this woman was now all bark and no bite, not after what they had all endured together.

"Still… thank you." She shrugs. "You did the right thing." She nods. "You let Henry go to give him his best chance. It's one of the most selfless things I've ever seen you do. If that's not being a good mother then I don't know what is."

Regina cannot muster the energy to roll her eyes. "You're one to talk. This is the second time you've had to give up your daughter." She says this and somehow that anger she had been meaning to express manages to come up at a most inconvenient time, though she is more angry with herself for suddenly blurting this out.

Snow nods her consent to this statement. "... but both times it was my decision not yours." She says with a quick purse of her lips deciding that while she could go on and blame Regina it's best to take ownership for her own choices. All Regina ever did was provide the obstacle. It made no sense to try and put the blame on her especially if they were to work together in the coming days. "... and anyway we have work to do don't we? We have to figure out how to get our children back to us." She says smiling brightly and tugging just slightly on the hands she still holds hostage within her own.

Regina looks up to search this woman's gaze. Sure it was sickening, this silly idea of hope she continued to hold on to, but the woman was right. If they ever wanted to see their children again they needed to get to work on a plan to do so and the way things seemed to work out for them in Neverland they needed to work together here as well.

"Right then." Regina finally says with a slight grin resembling nothing the once _Evil Queen_ would ever offer in the way of facial expressions. "What are we standing around here for?" She says suddenly offering the best stern glare she can muster but the awkwardness of it only causes a shared moment of laughter between the two.

Snow turns and starts to pull Regina along by the hand before squeezing it and releasing, knowing full well that she would continue to follow. It was time to set to work on a way to their children. If Regina had anything to say about it... they would find their children if it was the last thing they would do.

****Not as clever as I hoped it would be but it made me feel better to write and share after not doing so for quite a while. **

**Have a lovely day fellow 'Oncers' :D**

**Thanks for reading! ****


End file.
